In placing a medical device or instrument deeply into an organ, such as a brain, it is often advantageous to precisely target, place, and then secure the device for a period of time that may be several days or even indefinitely. Examples of such devices include catheters, needles, and drug and biological agent delivery instruments, as well as electrical mapping, stimulating and/or ablation leads.
Targeting such a device is not always an exact science. The target is not always visible from preoperative images. Even when using image-guided minimally invasive techniques, with such imaging modalities magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), frameless surgical navigation systems, and the like, there is often a need for some tweaking or small adjustment in trajectory to accurately hit the target. A single trajectory approach would mean that the need to move the target slightly laterally would require removing the device and then reintroducing it, sometimes as close as 2 mm away from the original entry site.
One approach to positioning an instrument, such as a deep brain stimulation electrode, uses a conventional stereotactic frame system that is secured to the patient. In this approach, preoperative images of the patient are used to determine the proper trajectory to the target, as measured and aligned relative to the frame. Using accessories mounted to the frame, the electrode is aligned and advanced through a burr hole in the skull to the predetermined target. A base is then inserted into and/or around the burr hole. Various “tool holes” and slots in the base are deformed as the base is slid over the electrode. The tool holes in the base are squeezed together as the base is inserted into the burr hole. When the base is released, it springs back outward against the inside diameter of the burr hole. The stereotactic accessories must then be carefully removed while holding the device in place. This step can be clumsy and inexact. If the electrode moves, it must be repositioned. Before securing the carefully-positioned device to the patient, the equipment used to introduce the device and maintain trajectory must be removed. This action can often dislodge the device requiring the entire placement procedure to be repeated. Even after the stereotactic accessories have been removed, the electrode or other device must be secured. This procedure may also cause electrode movement. In one example, a silicone rubber cap is fit into place to capture and protect the electrode. Placing the rubber cap may cause further electrode movement.
One disadvantage of this approach is that the instrument positioning is attempted using only a presumed target location, based on the preoperative images, and not an actual determination of the needed trajectory to the target. Another disadvantage is that the stereotactic frame system is both expensive and unwieldy. Yet another disadvantage is that the electrode may move at any one of several times during the procedure and therefore require repositioning. For these and other reasons, the present inventors have recognized that there is a need for improved targeting, placement, and secure stabilization of a deep brain electrode or other medical instrument.